


It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.

by NextWarden



Series: College AU (but with powers?) [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Confession, F/F, Romance, Sea, Whiterose, beach, sand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextWarden/pseuds/NextWarden
Summary: Sand is, at least. Ruby too. But Ruby is also everything, soft and smooth.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Series: College AU (but with powers?) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176005
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.

Not for the first time in her life Weiss Schnee was about to do something dangerous and brave. For once, however, it had the potential to also probably be very, very stupid. She had, of course, always danced with danger. Being the esteemed daughter of one of the most powerful men in the world came with its fair share of risk. Whether it be from the outside world or from within… She had long learned that lesson, one that trailed before her in every second of her life. But she had, to the appalled surprise of her father and perhaps even to her own, also learned to do what was right. It hadn't been easy, it had taken years and many a tentative step, a handful of eye-opening moments to see the truth veiled behind layers and layers of lies and deception, and a push from unlikely comrades to finally make herself into the huntress she had destined herself to be. For others but not at their bidding, for herself yet as selfless as could be. Not that anyone would outright accuse her of such a quality - to the outside world, she was still the cold, icy soul that refused to back down for anything below perfect, whatever the cost. Truthfully, however, she had felt that thick wall begin to thaw and crumble for some time now. One that she had spent years carefully erecting in order to protect herself from the world and its dangers, from her father and his control, from her life and its lonely emptiness…

That had all changed after she had arrived at Vale. Granted it had taken some time, but the strange yet powerful strength which had been imposed upon her by the three young women that made up her team - her family, if she was to be honest - had shifted from unbearably suffocating to gratefully welcomed. It had not killed or ruined her, as she had often been promised such things would. Quite on the contrary, team RWBY had been the best thing that had happened to her. She had found an unlikely yet precious kinship in the form of Blake Belladonna, the aloof and mysterious faunus. Somehow, although she could not quite explain it, a frustrating yet immensely motivating support in Yang Xiao Long, the hot shot, empty-headed pillar of the team and Ruby's elder sister. And then there had been Ruby Rose. An incorrigibly clumsy dolt of a girl, too immature and too trusting to amount to anything, she had assessed within the first seconds of their meeting. Somehow, however, the red-clad typhoon, despite her childish manners, her constant nagging, and her inability to stop putting others' needs before her own, had wormed her way into her heart. Earning not only respect but also admiration and loyalty. Earning so much more than that too...

That was precisely why she was standing on the beach that day. The adoltable girl must have somehow rubbed off one her as she was sure she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life following one of the stupidest decisions she had ever convinced herself to make in the entirety of her life. And there weren't many, she was not Weiss Schnee for nothing - although there seemed to be far more in the recent months than before. She had no true statistics to back that sentiment up yet she knew it to be true, or at least she felt it to be true - perhaps she'd run some numbers to verify it- Focus! Now was not the time. She had a very very bad, no good, horrible decision to follow up with and all her brain power was needed in order to convince herself that she could not back down now. Or to find a way to in the span of the half second she had left before the silence became too uncomfortable between the two of them. She could already feel the frown grow between those adorable brows of hers- No, focus!

"Weiss?", she heard Ruby's voice prompt her, uncertain.

Time had ticked, she had to speak or forever be silent. Oh how silence seemed appealing to her now… But she had resolved, she had to. They had walked along the beach for long enough, coming to the shore on her behest after a long day of working on their shared essay and a growing headache in the hope of enjoying some fresh air and clearing her mind. Maybe, just maybe, to also try to confess her feelings to the girl that had enraptured her heart for a while now. Never had she thought of ending up in such a situation before, in love and so completely lost as to how she was ever going to find the courage to do what she wished to do. Her, the self-assured Weiss Schnee, victim of weak knees. What a joke!

"Weiss?", she heard the girl call again, softer this time.

Her leader was looking at her, her eyes full of the love she knew the ravenette had for her friends and companions. Soft and patient silver expectantly waiting. Ruby clearly had no idea of the power she held, Weiss thought. It had not always been the case, but she had grown and matured from a loud and obnoxiously cheerful girl into almost a grown woman, taller, fuller - in hair, curves, muscles, and inner depth - and, well, as plainly as it was possible to say, irresistible, she had found. Everyday Weiss was assaulted a little more by her kindness, her softness, her care. Not that it was disagreeable, on the contrary. That was the problem, it felt so good she wanted to lose herself in it for hours at a time, both in the attention and in the physical proximity. It was something she had lacked as a child in that huge, cold mansion her father had made into an even colder and harsher place, she knew it, yet this was not only her trying to recapture that, it was more. She wanted Ruby by her side and she wanted to be by Ruby's side, good times or bad, and that want grew a bit more every day. It had been growing for a while now, so much so that she had had to accept it as something that was there and she would eventually have to act upon - whether to crush or to encourage. She had mulled it over, weighing for and against, carefully, as carefully as she took every other decision in her life, letting herself realize that she wanted something out of it. Carefully drafting a plan to eventually do act upon it. And, finally, actually acting upon it.

That was where she was left now, after a long day of studying, a trip to the cold, windy beach, and a few hours of walking and talking as her nerves grew ever more taut. A moment of blissful silence had passed between the two, a rare occurrence only happening after long discussions when even Ruby found herself not pouring out words but appreciating the quiet for a while. Weiss had taken the ravenette's hand, gently stopping them in their tracks, before announcing she had an announcement to make, something she wanted to tell Ruby, something important but not quite easy to say. Ruby had been patient, had waited in silence, gently encouraging her with those beautiful silver orbs of hers. Weiss had opened her mouth repeatedly yet no sound had come out, she'd breathed in and out yet her nerves had not died down, and now she'd waited too long to speak and too long to back out of it. Ruby knew something was up and she was worried, preventing Weiss from simply brushing it aside as she usually did when it came down to it. No, now she had to actually carry on with it. And she would. She deserved that, Ruby deserved that, she deserved the truth, even if the truth scared Weiss, especially letting it out. Nodding and with a press of her hand, she took a deep breath.

"Sorry, I-...", she began, hesitating again. "Sorry. It's not easy to say. I'm a bit scared, to be honest."

Ruby frowned at that, she opened her mouth to reassure her, surely, but Weiss motionned her to stay silent.

"Please, let me say what I have to say first."

Ruby simply nodded at that.

And Weiss did. It came out slowly, with great difficulty. Stuttering at first, in jumbled pieces despite all her plans and coordination, despite the whole speech she had prepared during the many sleepless nights leading up to that day. And Ruby listened. She listened as Weiss spoke of herself, her life before Beacon, their meeting, the horrible impression she'd made on her during their first meeting, how that impression had changed, her doubts (about herself, about others, about everything), and slowly but surely, almost despite herself, she found a rhythm and the words, the ones she wanted to say along many others she had never expected until that point yet which felt right and true and deserved, poured out of her as steady as a stream, more confident as Ruby tentatively nodded her attention. Weiss felt like she was not simply admitting her feelings aloud, but like she was telling herself to Ruby.

It wasn't the first time, over the months they'd shared in each other's company they'd become very close, closer than she'd even have imagined before. Ruby had almost instantly opened herself to her (from the moment the first impression from their first meeting had faded enough for Weiss to interact with her like a normal human being and not her archenemy set on burning her career to the ground, at least). Weiss, on the other hand, had needed more time to do so, it had taken many a nice gesture from Ruby, many a kind word, and many - too many - moments of reproach from Weiss (not always deserved, she had to admit) before she'd eventually begun opening. Without even realizing it at first. A small admission here, another there, and much like today, she had unravelled her life for the one she had come to consider her best friend, her first true friend.

Opening herself had not only given her the opportunity to have somebody else know her better, but also to know another soul almost as she did her own. Sharing had revealed itself not to be a weakness, as Jacques had often professed, praying to his capitalistic gods, but a path to find strength in more forms than she had known until then. Sharing opened oneself to be cared for by others and showed that one cared about others to allow them to do it. It had helped her learn to relate to her peers, and then, slowly, to those different from her. She'd even become one of those who were different, if she could say so herself. How good it had felt to let herself free from the shackles that her family had long imposed on her, even if that was only in the confines of her academic life and tentative step after tentative step. And all of that she owed to her friends, and amongst all of her friends, to Ruby. Not simply for being there and listening, but for being the reason that had made her want to actually change.

That is what she finally confessed. How her life had begun revolving around Ruby without her even noticing, how she'd wanted to share that with her for some time now, and how it had made her simultaneously a better, stronger and happier person than she'd ever have hoped, yet also such a coward she hadn't been able to string two coherent sentences until then, and simply tell her that she, the loveable raven-haired dolt, was actually very much loved.

As she spoke, she saw the silver eyes grow. And as she finished and let the weight of her words settle on the humid sand, they'd widened to an extent she had previously only seen on rare occasions when cookies were involved or she extended an equally rare demonstration of affection, and then even wider than that. Oh no. That wasn't a good sign, was it? So, about those backup plans? Perhaps 'H' would do? She heard the gasp and saw the array of emotions brew into the storm that were Ruby's eyes. How she wished she could take back her words now…

When Ruby finally spoke, it was just as deconstructed as when she herself had begun speaking.

"Weiss, I-... I-..."

Clearly the girl was at a loss for word, overwhelmed by what she'd just been told.

Weiss felt the retreat a second before it came, in the tensing muscles and the rapid glance the girl shot behind her. Curses...!

"Ruby, wait-!", was all she managed to get out before she smelled the semblance activate.

A scent of roses, much stronger than usual, assaulted her nose and her mind - oh how unjust it was to be left with the lingering perfume of what she had now come to associate with her wildly beating heart. Damned be her superior genes!

The silhouette stormed in the distance of the beach and she let out a groan. How was she going to deal with this? What was she to do? Should she even try to deal with it? A return to cold Atlas was the last thing she desired but it would at least have the benefit of putting her in a remote enough place that she would not have to face the shameful consequences of her own stupidity… Her paternal would see to it even if she didn't, keeping the 'questionable' influences at large. Did she want that, however? If the choice had been quite obvious one way up until then, it was on the verge of being drastically altered in that precise moment. Despite all she had learned over the past years, she could feel the desire to turn away and  
remove herself rather than feeling the humiliating pain of having to face Ruby and her friends after this...

Before her numb body had time to truly catch up with her frantic mind, which itself had not quite registered the reality of her crumbling heart, however, she heard a sound in the distance. Sand grating sand. Followed by a frustrated grunt and the faint splash of water as a stone ricocheted over the waves. And as her eyes lifted back up, the small silhouette of her team leader, now standing motionless near the water, imprinted itself in her eyes. That was the only reason she knew it had been there and it had been real, for as soon as her gaze settled on Ruby, the brunette had disappeared in another flurry of petals. Once again she was left to her own, lost and abandoned. It wasn't the first time, and surely it would not be the last. Each time the pain promised to lessen only to hit her full speed when she least expected it. What good was time and experience if it did nothing to soothe or prevent bruising? Still, she had picked herself up more than once and she would again. She was a Schnee and Schnees did not stay down. She would- A sound cut through her thoughts.

She heard the frenzied steps crunch the delicate silica grains, each louder than the previous one. She recognised the voice an instant too late, registering what was going to happen a moment even later as a huge weight tackled her and sent her crashing into the sand with so much force she almost passed out. Had she not let her powers flow out she probably would have, but even when her mind was too slow, her nerves and muscles reacted on instinct.

"Weiss!" she now realized Ruby had been yelling, her voice desperate and shrill, as she barrelled into her at full semblance speed.

When the world finally came back to her in an orderly fashion she was on her back, humid sand holding her steady, as Ruby was on top of her, her wide silver eyes looking at her, watching, apologetic yet seemingly searching deep into her blue ones for something. Instants passed, quiet and still, almost as if everything else had frozen - she couldn't hear the waves anymore so maybe the world had actually frozen. Perhaps even was it her doing. She did tend to… lose control more often than not when in the presence of the brunette, such an outburst would not even surprise her at this point. Then, before she had the time to utter the words she had uttered so often in loving frustration at her partner, before she even had time to finish thinking about doing so, her vision went dark and she felt something soft on her lips. It took her another few seconds of wild heart and crazed thoughts to comprehend what was happening. Ruby had leaned down, her hair falling over Weiss's eyes, and she was now kissing her, ever so gently, as if she was a precious - not fragile, she knew the girl knew by now - piece of… something, something worth being ever so careful not to break or damage - as if she could easily be anyway… The interaction was pleasant however, more than pleasant even, and welcome, very oh so very welcome. So much so that nothing could make her bitch about what had led to it, as her partner's sister loved to word. Not now, in any case. For the first time since she had learned the power that contact with Ruby held upon her, she let herself relax and melt into it. Her high end dress and her carefully crafted updo be damned, she took that moment for everything it had to offer. Even returning some of it herself as she cupped the soft cheek above her with a hand and leaned into the kiss.

There were no fireworks, there was no orchestral music either, although she felt that the moment would have deserved everything the best of romantic scenes could throw at it, not even taking into account the fact that she was a Schnee and that Schnees deserved only the best. This was the best, not by name or by wealth, but by pure and simple meritocracy. None of that happened, yet the world as she knew it did tilt on its axis. She was kissing Ruby, Ruby was kissing her. The object of so much of her yearning for so long, something she had never dreamed of truly having the right to deserve, was acting exactly as she desired. And she was flying. Even the realization that she was having the gall to question whether this was the kind of gesture she was hoping for and not simply an affectionately friendly way of assuring her of Ruby's desire to remain close despite Weiss's admission did nothing to ground her. Not to Earth, at least. If time had stopped or the world had frozen for real this time she couldn't say for all had simply vanished and only the feeling of Ruby upon her remained. Her weight, her softness, her heat, her smell, the small sounds that escaped from her throat - or perhaps both their throats - as they delved into the moment. She was tethered to her raven-haired partner, and only they were left. Weiss caught in her bright orbit, never to be let go. Oh. That was a scary thought. Welcomed yet hair-raising. She'd have to ponder upon that later, preferably together with the one currently showering her in affection, right now she had other preoccupations.

…

They must have stayed in that position for a long time, Weiss realized when the first wave came to lap against her arm and drenched her back in cold, salty water. To her credit, she did not yelp. She had learned to show restraint in her reactions via closely monitored teasing from her roommates over the past years, after all. And the fact that her supply of air was dangerously low did not help, nor did her obstructed mouth and already humming throat. Still, she motioned to the taller girl to catch her attention. When Ruby did not react and kept on making her focus lose itself she tried again. To no avail. Feeling a third wave coming, the second one had already drenched the second third of her back which had remained untouched, she managed to invoke enough willpower to shove them both around. Ruby yelped at the unexpected movement and, in the process, Weiss found herself atop her partner. The other girl let out a second yelp, surprised as she felt the degree of humidity of her back skyrocket. Weiss saw the frown of outrage almost knit the two brows together on Ruby's flush face as her team captain finally realised what had happened and, despite her best efforts, couldn't help the fit of giggles that soon turned into a full laugh. It rippled through her body, sending her crashing into Ruby's neck where she remained for a while, revelling in the sweet scent as her shoulders kept shaking.

When Weiss rose again, one hand still cupping Ruby's cheek and the other fisted into the neck of her top, she saw the ravenette was smiling too. One of those tender, ever-loving - and ever-loveable - smiles. She couldn't help the wave of heat that burned her already rosy cheeks, instantly vanishing the cold from her face.  
"That was not very nice", she heard as much as she saw the smile in her partner's voice.  
"You weren't listening," Weiss shrugged in response. "As often is the case, I'll have you know," she added almost mischievously.  
Ruby huffed but did not move as another wave came softly crashing upon her side. She simply wrapped her arms - as deadly as her guns, Weiss had found out during their first spring at Beacon - around the petite yet fierce woman on top of her. Her silver eyes suddenly became more serious, yet losing none of the affection they beamed at her.

"I'm…," she seemed to search for her words for a moment. "I'm sorry, Weiss.", she settled on in the end.

The even more serious, if that was possible.

"I do too."

Weiss may have smiled, she may have not. Nothing else than the swell of her heart and the heat of their second kiss registered in her mind as she closed her eyes and leaned into Ruby once again. She did too. They both did. Wonderful.

…

So, when Blake and Yang, Blake "Eternal Unfazed" Belladonna, and Yang "Top of the World" Xiao Long, walked back into the party, each so far removed from their own title that even Jaune quirked an eyebrow, Weiss knew exactly what had transpired elsewhere and what would transpire in the times to come. She gently nudged Ruby and pointed to the duo. The ravenette looked from behind her shoulder, shifting slightly yet not breaking the embrace she had Weiss trapped in. The leader studied her teammates' gaits; Weiss saw her silver eyes trail from the faint smirks on each face down to their intertwined fingers, and felt light pour into the room as she beamed at the sight. Of course she would be happy for them, she deserved to be after all the work she had put into making an opportunity for realization on both their part. Also perhaps because that now levelled the playing field slightly, giving them the opportunity to return the teasing. Unless it had the opposite effect and instead magnified the bumbling bi's ability to mouth words by backing them up with snarky smirks. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. She let herself smile as she felt Ruby's heat expand around her in an effort to warm her up, effort at which she would have rolled her eyes and huffed before, yet which she had learned to accept and appreciate over time. The girl truly had rubbed off on her, it was undeniable now. Still she retained most of her wit and snip, no amount of warm and tender ravenette would ever manage that feat (at least not while they were around others). She made it known to the two girls as they slowly made their way through the crowd by a cool, level gaze and a raised eyebrow. Blake simply raised one in return and Yang rubbed the back of her neck and offered a sheepish smile as they came to stand in front of Ruby and her, hands still clasped onto each other and their closeness now reduced to nothing.

"Good?", Weiss asked, feeling Ruby's broad smile more than she saw it.

"Good," Yang replied after exchanging a look with Blake.

The tenderness in the gesture did not escape her notice, neither did it Ruby's as she felt the smile broaden even more against the back of her head. Still Weiss huffed. She had to, at least at something during her day, the world demanded it.

"Good", she replied with a curt nod.

This time it was her turn to smile. It was definitely not as broad as Ruby's or Yang's, but it held just as much emotion, only part of it being the other duo's doing. Sharing could be easy when one cared.

**Author's Note:**

> This feels more rambly and less polished than the last two things I posted here, but I still wanted to add it to the collection.
> 
> Hope you liked it.


End file.
